The Seattle Storm entered Tuesday night with the potential to gain some momentum against the top team in the league — the Minnesota Lynx.

A flurry of three-pointers from Nneke Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter were just not enough as the Storm dropped their third straight game 91-87 to the Lynx on Aug. 5.

Not only did the Storm have a chance to beat Minnesota for the second time, but with a blockbuster trade announced earlier that morning, the Storm gained just a bit of momentum. The Storm acquired Brittany Sykes from the Washington Mystics for a 2026 first round pick, Alysha Clark and Zia Cooke.

“We continue to put ourselves in positions where we can win those games to get over the hump. We got somebody coming in here who is going to help us do that,” Head Coach Noelle Quinn said after the loss.

Trailing 79-70, the Storm had made just four three-pointers all game before Ogwumike made a pair of threes to cut the lead to four. A Wheeler lay-in followed by Ogwumike making a third thre- pointer all came up in vain. Wheeler and Skylar Diggins each made a three-pointer, but it just wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.

“That’s the push that we have been giving, but we gotta get over the hump. If you look at the third quarter, that is where they got us,” Wheeler said. “It’s kind of hard. We are making the push but not coming up with the win. It’s tough.”

The Lynx, which had won seven of their last eight, had their biggest shock of the season as it was announced Napheesa Collier had a sprained ankle and would miss time this season. Seattle took advantage of the missing MVP candidate and jumped out to a 11-9 lead. But it could have been more as the Storm began shooting 5-for-7 from the floor, but then went on to miss their next three shots in a row.

After her first steal of the game with 8:34 left in the opening quarter, Gabby Williams broke former Storm Forward Natasha Williams’ record of 74 steals in 2019, setting a franchise record of 75 in her fourth year with the franchise.

“She should be an All-Defensive team member in my opinion, if not top of people’s mind when you talk about player of the year. Defensively, she’s covering the other team’s most potent perimeter player,” Quinn said. “She’s the reason why our defense is the way it is and hopefully she continues to give us what we need on that side of the floor.”

The WNBA record for steals in a season is 100, held by Teressa Witherspoon set back in 1998. With 16 games left, Williams will need to average just over 1.6 steals per game to tie the 27-year record.

Over the next quarter and change, the Storm and Lynx were tied nine different times and would swap leads nine different times through the rest of the half. Over the final 2:33 of the first half, the two sides were tied 31-31. The Storm went on a 12-4 run to find some separation from the team with the best record in the WNBA.

The gas that made the engine go in that second quarter was Ogwumike and Wheeler. The two combined for 22 of the Storm’s 44 first half points, shooting a combined 7-for-12 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free throw line.

All the momentum that the Storm seemingly built heading into halftime vanished in the first three minutes out of the locker room.

Minnesota sprinted out to a 11-2 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter and put Seattle on their heels defensively.

“We didn’t begin that quarter how we wanted to. They got loose from three. We got a little undisciplined in our rotations and getting to that three point line,” Quinn said. The aggressive and staunch defense that has caused opponents problems went by the wayside, and late transitions and poor effort caused the Lynx to shoot their way back into the game and into control.

Rookie second overall pick Dominique Malonga was the temporary stop gap on offense when the Storm needed some good looks in the third quarter. Malonga finished with 12 points, three rebounds and over 16 minutes played. She is now finding her role on a soon to be very talented Storm team.

“She’s been very efficient in the minutes she has been given. The energy is high. Her running the floor, setting screens and getting to the rim helps us get points in the paint with a dynamic post player,” Quinn said.

The fourth quarter began with the Storm up three, thanks to another late Wheeler bucket in the third quarter.

Wheeler finished the game with 19 points, her highest total since July 3, when she scored 21 against Atlanta on the road. Confidence is something she never struggles with, but having a prolific night on offense is a positive despite losing a third straight game.

“That’s the game of basketball. Sometimes the ball goes in, some days it don’t. I’m just aggressive. A team like this I knew I had to get downhill and the rim was open for me today,” Wheeler said.

The two sides were tied at 66, 68 and 70 before the Lynx went on a 9-0 run fueled by Courtney Williams. She took a three-pointer that was ill-advised with nine seconds left on the shot clock, heavily contested, which clunked the back iron before falling in the hoop.

Seattle will try and end its second three-game losing streak of the season on Aug. 8 as they travel down to the desert to take on the Las Vegas Aces and get back in the win column.

Seattle Storm Center Ezi Magbegor turns against a Lynx defender. Photo courtesy of Seattle Storm.